The optimal size for channel catfish is typically a 2/0 or 3/0 hook when using a Kahle hook If you choose circle hooks for small to medium-sized channel catfish then a 5/0 or 6/0 size will usually work best
What size hook should I use for catfish?
When using circle hooks of any kind, a size 7 or 8 works great for large fish You can go all the way up to a 10/0 for big blue catfish When focused on medium catfish, look for a 5/0 or a 6/0 hook If you are planning on doing catch and release fishing, circle hooks are the best choice
What size hooks for 20 lb catfish?
For catfish weighing over 20 lbs, it’s recommended you use circle hooks that are between 5/0 and 8/0 in size For anything smaller than this, anywhere from 1/0 to 0/4 should work fine You should always try to match the size of your hook with the bait you’re using, too Never overload your hook with too much bait
What size fishing hook should I use?
Use a smaller #6 or #4 for 1-2″ minnows and small leeches to target Perch and Crappie Use the medium size #4 & #2 on larger 3-4″ minnows and jumbo leeches for Walleye Lastly, the 1/0 is great with larger 4-6″ minnows used to target Pike and Bass
What rig should I use for catfish?
The egg sinker slip rig is, hands down, the most popular rig for still fishing catfish Consisting of an egg sinker on the main line held in place above the hook by a lead shot, this rig is ideal for keeping the bait near the bottom, which in turn, allows a catfish to swim off with the bait with little tension
What is the best time of day to fish for catfish?
The best time of day to catch 3-seasons catfish is from an hour before sunset until 2 hours after sunrise and during the winter, from late morning until just before sunset These are not hard and fast rules, but you will find the most active and hungry catfish consistently biting in these windows
What attracts catfish the most?
Here are our top bait recommendations for catching big numbers of channels, flatheads and blues Worms Worms are classic catfish bait Shad and Minnows Like worms, shad and minnows have mass appeal Stink Bait Unlike worms and minnows, stink bait only appeals to catfish Anything from the Fridge Soap
What is the secret catfish rig?
In its simplest form, a paternoster is any rig where the hook(s) are on droppers above a fixed sinker Besides a tidy presentation, this arrangement allows the angler to try more than one bait and you’ll often find paternosters with two hooks, or even three or four
Are circle hooks good for catfish?
Using circle hooks for catfish can result in more hook-ups and reduce mortality of caught-and-released fish If you had checked the end of a catfisherman’s line just 20 years ago, you might have found almost any type of hook tied on
Which fishing hook is larger size 1 or size 32?
Fishing hook sizes are generally referred to by a number from the smallest (size 32) to the largest (size 19/0) For hook sizes from 32 to 1, the larger the number, the smaller the hook
Which hook size is bigger 1 or 2?
The first series relates to the smaller hooks and uses a numbering system generally ranging from 32 to 1 Within this series the larger the number the smaller the hook, for example, a number 3 hook is smaller than a number 2, with the number 1 being the largest in the series
Should you use a bobber for catfish?
Slip bobbers can be effective for blue catfish and flathead catfish also in some applications but for channel catfish, they’re the “go-to” catfish rig for many anglers You might also find situations when fishing for blues and flatheads where you’ll want to fish with slip bobbers as well
Do you need a leader for catfish?
Catfish leader line also serves as a “shock absorber” when a catfish strikes This absorbs the force of aggressive strikes from big catfish That shock absorption is important with mono and braid but due to the lack of stretch in braided fishing line you should always use a monofilament leader
How do beginners catch catfish?
Simply add a float above the weight on a slip-sinker rig Use this rig to drift bait slowly through wood-rich catfish lairs or over weed without snagging on bottom or in cover Drifting a float also helps cover water from the bank A jig head (link to the jig head article) tipped with bait will also catch catfish
Do catfish bite when it’s raining?
Rain can often times cause catfish to become more likely to feed and actively search out prey than periods of non-rain For different reasons that will be discussed later on, catfish will bite before, during, and after rain events which often leads to good catfish fishing
What temperature do catfish like?
Everything a catfish does is dependent on water temperature Catfish can be caught in cold water but 50 degrees is the benchmark for the big spring bite From there the bite gets better and better right up until the spawn temperature of around 70 degrees
How far away can catfish smell?
Catfish can smell the bait far away Actually, catfish can smell the bait and have been known to use there extremely strong sense of smell for up to 15 feet from what they are interested in Sometimes even further
What smell do catfish like?
Their preference is No Trace, an all-natural anti-odor product that can be sprayed onto hands, and even clothing Its benign, water-like appearance and texture, Jamison says, knocks out noticeable odors such as gasoline, insect sprays, and tobacco, as well as neutralizing serine secretions in skin19-Apr-2016